"Girls" Actress Couldn't Afford Anesthesia for Her Abortion

"Girls" Actress Couldn't Afford Anesthesia for Her Abortion

Jemima Kirke, who plays Jessa on the HBO show GIRLS, recounts her experience with abortion in this powerful new video from the Center for Reproductive Rights. She opens up about not having enough money to pay for the procedure, asking her boyfriend for financial help, and ultimately deciding to forgo anesthesia because the procedure would be more affordable without it. She couldn’t tell her parents about the procedure, and the financial strain was just one of many hoops she had to jump through in order to get her abortion.

“We think we have free choice and we’re able to do whatever we want, but then there are these little hoops we have to jump through to get [an abortion].”

Pregnancy should never be a death sentence. Research has shown the best way to reduce the number of abortions is to make sure women have access to a full range of contraceptive methods. At PAI, we believe in empowering women to make their own reproductive decisions.